Nicky Butt

Background

Born in Gorton, Manchester, Butt began his career at Manchester United as an important part of their youth team before turning professional in 1993. He made his first-team debut in the 1992–93 season as a substitute against Oldham Athletic in a 3–0 Premier League win on 21 November 1992. One of his first appearances for the first team came in the FA Cup semi-final on 10 April 1994, also against Oldham as a substitute, in a 1–1 draw at Wembley Stadium.

United won the replay 4–1 at Maine Road but he was not included in the squad. 1994–95 saw Butt play 35 games in all competitions, scoring one goal and featuring in the starting eleven for the FA Cup final, which United lost to Everton. With the departure of Paul Ince to Internazionale in the 1995 close season, manager Alex Ferguson chose to draft in Butt as Ince's successor in midfield alongside Roy Keane. Butt was part of a notable batch of talented, young Manchester United players dubbed Fergie's Fledglings.

Butt performed remarkably in his early seasons as a regular first team player at United, and often started in the lineup, scoring crucial goals, such as against Liverpool in Eric Cantona's comeback match in October 1995, and forcing Nigel Winterburn to concede an own goal for the winner against Arsenal in November 1996. Butt also functioned as a steady replacement for Roy Keane as the midfield ball winner, while Keane was injured for much of the 1997–98 season, earning a PFA Team of the Year award that year.

However, Keane returned and after forward Paul Scholes was re-deployed as a midfielder around the end of the 1990s, Butt's first-team chances started to become increasingly limited. Butt still went on to collect many honours at United, as the club capped their domination of the 1990s with a remarkable and unique treble win in 1999 (with Butt playing the whole of the Champions League Final due to Roy Keane being suspended), and several more titles in the years up till 2001.

By the time of his departure from Old Trafford, Butt had gained six Premier League title winner's medals, three FA Cup winner's medals and a Champions League winner's medal. He had also collected an FA Cup runners-up medal in 1995. Butt handed in a transfer request in January 2004, but turned down a proposed move to Birmingham City during the January transfer window.

Did You Know?

• He walked out on manager Steve Bruce in February 2006 after finding out Bruce placed his son Alex Bruce in the squad ahead of him, and was later fined two weeks wages.
• Butt signed for South China on 22 November 2010 and scored from a free kick in his first match against TSW Pegasus.